Hydrant or fire-plug.



PATENTED MAY 23, 1905. ELF. BOHNE. HYDRANT. 0R FIRE PLUG.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2, 1904. RENEWED FEB. 14, 1905.

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E. r. BOHNL'. HYDRANT 0R FIRE PLUG.

APPLICATION FILED MAR 2, 1904. RENEWED FEB. 14, 1905.

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1 r i ii 4 J I V w dz Hot/mu UNITED STATES Patented May 23, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

HYDRA-NT R FIRE-PLUG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 790,423, dated May 23, 1905. Application filed March 2, 19 04. Renewed February 14, 1905. Serial No. 245,582.

' To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ERNEST F. BoHNE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Hydrants or F ire-Plugs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in fire plugs or hydrants.

The objects of the invention are, first, to provide a hydrant having within its stock a plurality of water chambers or passages in communication with a common so'urce'of water-supply and provided with an independent hose connection for each chamber or passage, whereby a corresponding number of streams may be drawn or pumped from the one stock; second, to provide a plug or hydrant stock or casing of this type which may be formed of a single casting; third, to provide improved means for draining the water-chambers of water when the supply-valves are closed to prevent any possibility of the freezing of water in the stock in cold weather; fourth, to provide an improved construction and arrangement of valves, and, finally, to generally simplify and improve theconstruction and increase the practical'efiiciency of hydrants of this character.

With the accomplishment of these ends in view the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement'of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a fire-plug or hydrant embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is avertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section through the valve-chamber; and Figs. 4 and 5 are horizontal sections through the stock, taken, respectively, on lines 4 4 and 5 5 of Fig. 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, 1 represents the hydrant casing or stock comprising the stand-pipe 2 and valvechamber 3; 4, a water-inlet at the base of'the valve-chamber, and 5 and 6 discharge-nozzles at the upper end of the stock, to which valves.

I hose-pipes may be applied by suitable connecof said valve-chamber in line with the inlet 4 and forms, with said partition 8, independent water chambers or passages 10 and 11, which respectively communicate at their upper ends with the nozzles 5 and 6.

Formed in opposite sides of the partition 9 are openings 12, in which fit valve-seats 13, each having a port 14, through which communication is established between the inlet 4 and each water-chamber. Each of these valveseats'is formed with a guideway 15, in which slides a valve 16, governing the port 14. The Walls of said guideway are tapered and the valves correspondingly tapered, so that the valves will automatically adjust themselves to compensate for wear, and thus prevent leakage. In order to open and close the valves,

rods or shafts 17 and 18 are provided and have reduced journals 19 at their lower ends to turn in bearings 20 on the valve-seats13 and above said journals are provided with worm-threads 21, engaging nuts 22 on the valves 16, whereby the latter may be slid up and down in their guideways 15 to govern the ports 14. The rods pass through bushings 23 in the crown-wall 8 of the dome 9 and thence respectively extend upwardly through the passages 10 and 11 and through the head 7 at the top of the stock to the exterior, their projecting upper ends terminating in polygonal key-grips 24, to which a key or wrench may be applied to turn the rods to adjust the Of course hand-wh eels or crank-handles may be substituted for the grips.

By constructing the casing in the manner shown and above described it will be seen that but asingle supply-inlet 4 is required for the plurality of water-chambers and that all the parts thereofnamely the stock, val ve-chamher, inlet, and partition -may be formed in a single casting, thereby simplifying its construction and materially reducing the cost of production over a structure in which two or more of the parts are independently made, shaped for fitting, and joined together.

The valve-seats 13 are arranged within the dome 9, where they are subjected to the pressure of the water passing to the chambers 10 and 11, and they are adapted to be applied and removed, as is the case with all the other interior fittings, through the inlet 4. Each seat has an annular flange 13' surrounding the port 14, which flange and the wall of the opening 12 have beveled engaging surfaces, which are urged into close engagement by such pressure of the water on the valves, whereby the latter are applied in such manner that they will be securely retained in position Without the use of auxiliary fastenings and yet may be conveniently withdrawn by an outward pull into the dome 9.

In order to preclude any possibility of the retention and freezing of water within the stock or valve-casing in cold weather and resulting damage to the hydrant, I provide means for automatically exhausting the water from either chamber 10 or 11 when the valve 13, controlling the supply of water thereto from the inlet-port, is closed. To this end the bottom wall of each water-chamber is provided with a threaded openingin which is inserted a tubular drain-valve seat 25, which may be applied by threading or otherwise and which is adapted to be closed by a vertically-movable drain-valve 26. This valve has a winged lower guiding portion27, which moves within the tubular seat member 25 and is adapted, when the valve 26 is raised from its seat, to allow water to flow through said seat from the chamber. The valve also has an upwardly-projecting stem 28, terminating in a reduced portion 29, which fits and slides in an opening in a guide-flange or projection 30, formed integrally with the wall of the valve-easing 3, the two portions 27 and 29 thus serving to guide the valve in a true vertical path. On the stem 28 is a pin or projection31, which fits within an oval or elongated slot 32 in a valve-actuating lever 33, said pin and slot forming a slip-joint connection between the lever and valve, whereby upon the rocking of said lever the valve will be raised and lowered to the proper extent. As shown, the lever 33 is fulcrumed upon an arm 34, formed upon or carried by the flange 13 of the valve 13 and projecting at an angle inwardly therefrom, the opposite end of the lever projecting through the port 14 into the path of movement of a trip-lug 35 upon the valve, whereby when the latter is in closed position the lever will be actuated in one direction to raise the valve 26 and open the port 25 to allow the water contained in the chamber 10 or the chamber 11, as the case may be, to drain out, and when the valve is opened to admit water through the port14 into the chamber the movement of the lever will be reversed by the valve 26, which will close by gravity upon its seat and prevent the escape of the water designed to be discharged to the nozzle or hose connection by the drain-outlet 25. It will thus be seen that when either valve is opened or closed by means of these actuating-rods the drain-valve 26 will be simultaneously closed and opened and in the latter operation will allow the water remaining in the chamber after the use of the hydrant has ceased to drain out, thus preventing any retention of water within either chamber and freezing of the same in cold weather. The water within the domechamber, which is in direct communication with the inlet-port, is prevented from freezing by the fact that the spaces between the walls 3 and 9 act as dead-air spaces, thus obviating any reduction of temperature within the dome-chamber to a suiiicient degree to cause freezing of the water therein.

The operation of the hydrant will be readily understood from the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. \Vhen it is desired to procure water from either valve-chamber, the rod 18 is turned in the proper direction to open the valve 13, whereupon the valve 26 is closed and the water passes from the inlet 4 through the port 14 into the water-chamber 10 or 11, as the case may be, from which it discharges through the communicating nozzle or hose connection. Both water-chambers may be simultaneously employed, if desired, to draw or pump two streams at the same time from the hydrantby uncovering both ports 14, leading into the two chambers 10 and 11, and either or both of these ports may be closed to cut ofl one or both streams bya reverse movement of the actuating-rods to move the valves to cover said ports, as will be readily understood, the valves 26 opening and closing with the closing and opening movements of the valves 13 to close and open the drain-port 25. Thus two or more streams, according to the number of water-chambers contained within the hydrant-casing, may be discharged from the one hydrant, a matter of great convenience and usefulness in large cities where great conflagrations occur.

One important advantage of my invention is that by making the water-chambers independent, though communicating with a common source of supply, partial damage to the hydrant will not render it inoperative, as, although breaking of the wall of one waterehamber will prevent the connecting-nozzle from being employed, leakage of the water cannot occur, as the valve communicating with said passage will remain closed, while the water from the other water chamber or chambers will not be interferred with. Also total direct impulse from said valves 13 and closing automatically by gravity. Furthermore, my improved hydrant has all of its working parts and valves contained'within its own body or frame and protected securely against damage or derangement from the outside.

It will of course be understood that while the preferred embodiment of my invention is as herein shown, changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction may be made within the scope of the invention and without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what 1 claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A hydrant or fire-plug comprising a shell or casing forming a stock, said stock having a closed upper end and oppositely-disposed discharge-nozzles, an enlarged valve-chamber at the lower end of the stock, a dome-wall rising into the valve-chamber from the bottom wall thereof and forming a main water-supply chamber, a web or partition cooperating with said dome-wall to divide the stock and valvechamber into separate water-discharge chambers, each of said chambers having a drainport, the dome-wall having an inlet-port and the stock a discharge for each Water-discharge chamber, a water-inlet opening into said main chamber, valves in the main chamber governing the inlet-ports in the dome-wall, devices for operating said valves extending to the exterior through the crown of the dome-wall and stock, drain-valves in the water-discharge chambers governing the drain-ports therein, and means for governing said drain-valves from the first-named valves through the inletports, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ERNEST F. BOHNE.

Witnesses:

HENRY SoHIMrELER, JOHN A. EssBIReEn. 

